Maybe you don’t know your Windsor V8s from your GM small-block V8s, and you’d be forgiven, the important thing is to appreciate the sports cars and muscle cars they are fitted into and the unmistakable sound of American horsepower.
The small-block V8 motors that went into the Chevrolet Corvette, for example, were eventually named the LS-series of engines.
Over a two-decade run, the trusty LS unit would run under the hood of many cult cars in the US, with the Corvette C5 being a notable start, with 345 hp and 5.7-liters of capacity.
Everything culminated in the motor we see here in the title photo: the LS7, but unfortunately it will no longer be available as a crate engine.
The Chevrolet LS7 V8 Is Leaving Us Forever
In contrast to that first LS1, this LS7 variant was a 7-liter beast, offering a similarly-beastly 505 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, both at 6300 rpm with a 7000 rpm redline - not bad for a hairy-chested American V8.
This engine was advanced - not just a rebranded 90s engine - with upgrades made to the design and if you bought one, Chevrolet would give you a 2 year/50,000-mile warranty too.
They even offered a ‘Connect And Cruise’ option which matches the motor, gearbox, and connecting accessories for an easy hook-up into your engine bay of choice.
A crate engine for the uninitiated is an engine sold without the car attached – you can buy one of your liking, for engine transplants, replacements, repairs, and more, as long as it can be made to fit in the engine bay, of course.
Used in the fifth-generation Camaro as well as the C6 Corvette, this engine lends itself to racing, as along with the power and extra strength inherent in the design, it uses a dry-sump oil system that helps maintain oil pressure during high-lateral forces in cornering.
Chevrolet’s LS7 Will Be Missed By Many, But There’s Another King
In an interesting turn of events, Dodge previously announced that the excellent Challenger SRT Demon’s engine would be available to buy as a crate engine – although they called it the ‘Hell Crate’ engine.
At a cost of around $22,000, it was, and is, a masterpiece, comprising a 6.2 Supercharged V8 with 807 hp with 717 lb-ft that was featured in the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.
That engine was a slightly detuned version of the 840 hp one that went into the Demon drag-ready muscle car.
For the ultimate in crate engines, though, it has to be the Hellephant motor, also sold by Dodge, that will give you access to 1000 hp and 950 lb-ft of torque.
Back to Chevrolet, and what the future holds for its V8 engines, with the 6th-generation LT6 V8.
This unit went into the 8th-gen Corvette Z06 and makes a hefty 670 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque, from an engine which ‘only’ displaces 5.5-liter – without the need for a turbo or supercharger.
That’s something we can all get on board with and is the silver lining to losing the faithful 7-liter; hopefully, they’ll make that available as a crate, so we can supercharge that and create a Demon-slayer of our own.